The Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO) executive has recommended that its 36,000 members reject the proposed public sector pay deal.

INTO joins the TUI in recommending a rejection of the proposals, which were agreed between the Government and various public sector unions earlier this week.

In a statement this afternoon, Sheila Nunan - general secretary of the INTO - said: “Notwithstanding progress to date on pay equality the recent pay talks were an opportunity to draw a line under pay discrimination and right a wrong imposed on new entrants since 2011. The agreement has failed to signal an to end pay inequality imposed by government on recent entrants.

“While there has been some progress in these talks, there has not been tangible progress on pay equality.”

Primary teachers will be balloted on the proposals from next week.

The proposals, issued by the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC), would deliver an extension to the Lansdowne Road Agreement.

The benefits to different income groups would range from 6.2% to 7.4% over three years, and would run from 2018 to 2020. The deal is expected to be worth around €887m.

In a statement this afternoon, the Unite trade union described the proposals as 'modest advances' that were 'long overdue'.

Unite's Jim Kelly observed: “Unions fought hard and achieved some modest advances while also protecting gains made in previous agreements such as the outsourcing protections. It is especially welcome that the pay of lower earners will not only be restored by the end of the agreement, but will also be slightly increased over pre-cuts levels.

“It should be remembered, however, that although by the end of this proposed agreement in 2020, most workers will have exited FEMPI and the pension levy, they will have had to wait twelve years for that restoration."